Brake-operating mechanism.



J. F. OCONNOR.

BRAKE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-L191].

1,300,466, Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

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mm: r. o'comroa, or cmcaeo, rumors, essrenoa ro WILLIAM H. mmna, or CRAZY,

' NEW YORK.

BRAKE-OPERATIN G MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed November 1, 1917. Serial No. 199,730.

citizen of the United States, residing at.

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brake-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates in railway hand brakes.

Heretofore, in the operation of railway cars having hand operated brakes thereon, much difficulty and frequent danger have resulted to the brakemen because of the fact that, when the brakes are set, sudden unexpected movements ofthe car have thrown the brakemen against the release dog of the brake mechanism, thus causing an accidental release of the brake mechanism and permitting the car to run unchecked. into to. improvements other cars or 011' the track.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple arrangement for positively preventing accidental release of the brake mechanism as hereinbefore described.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view, with the cover plate removed, of a hand brake suitable for railway cars, showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig.2 is a horizontal, sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1 and taken on the line 22 thereof. And Figs. 3 and 4 are detail perspective views of the elements composing the locking and releasing dog.

In said drawing, 10 denotes a wall of a car to which my improved brake mechanism is adapted to be applied. The brake, as shown, comprises a housing casting 11 of horizontal substantially cylindrical form having a plurality of flanges or ears 12 at its inner end by which it is adapted to be riveted or otherwise secured to the wall 10 of the car. The housing casting 11 is provided with suitable inner and outer bear.-

provided with a preferably integral ratchet wheel 17 with which is adapted to cooperate a pawl 18 formed at the inner end of a gravity controlled, normally inoperative depending operating handle 19. The handle 19 is pivotally mounted, as indicated at 20,

on a hanger 21. The hanger 21 at its upper end is provided with a journal portion 22 rotatably mounted within a corresponding bearing 23 formed at the outer end of the drum 15, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. A cover plate 24 is employed to shield and protect the ratchet, han er and pawl, said cover plate 24 and the ot er parts just mentioned, being held in properly assembled position by means of a bolt 25 which extends through the plate 24, through the hanger 21, through the drum 15 and through the wall 10, said bolt bein retained by a nut 26 on the inner side of t e wall 10. The

lever handle 19 I of the housing casting, over-balancing the innerarm of the pawl. Pivotally connected to the pawl 27 is a short handle 29 which is arranged to depend normally, under the influence of gravity, in the position shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to release the ratchet, the operator swings the handle 29 to the position shown in'dotted lines at 30 in Fig. 1, whereupon a shoulder 31 on the handle 29 will engage a cooperating shoul= der 32 on the dog 27 and the latter may be readily disengaged from the ratchet The handle 29 is so formed that, upon release of the same by the operator. it will fall to the depending position shown in Fig. 1, so that it cannot accidentally ever be in the position shown by the dottedlines in Fi 1.

With the arrangement above descri ed, it is apparent that should the operator or brakeman he accidentally thrown against the brake, he, cannot thereby accidentally disengage the pawl 27 from the ratchet and release can only be effected intentionally by the operator or brakeman positively swinging the handle 29 upwardly and thereby actuating the pawl 27 It will also be noted that the weight of the handle 29 serves to further over-balance the pawl'27 and automatically maintain the latter in operative engagement with the ratchet 17.

WVith the simple arrangement above described, I am enabled to overcome the disadvantages in prior brake structures hereinbefore referred to and without materially increasing the expense or the weight of the parts.

I claim: 1. In a hand brake for railway cars and the like, the combination with hand op'er-' in a depending posltion under the influence moaneof gravity but adapted to be manually elevated and, when in elevated position, ar-

ranged to move the pivoted dog to release the chain tightening mechanis 2.' In a brake mechanism adapted'for. railway-cars, the combination with asubstantially cylindricalcasing adapted to be se-' i cured to the car wall, of a rotatable chain winding drum mounted within said casing,-

an operating handle for rotating said drum,

a ratchet wheel rigid with said drum, a locking dog pivotally mounted within said casing and cooperable with said ratchet wheel to prevent accidental'reverse rotation of the drum, said dog having its outer end extended slightly throughanopening in the casing, and a handle pivotally attached to the exposed end of said dog, said handle i normally hanging ina depending position,

said handle being arranged to be swung upwardly to a substantially to release said dog. I

In witness that I claim the foregoin I have hereunto subscribed my name t is 29th day of October, 1917.

' JOHN F; OCONNOR.

vertical position a 

